Paris: the Eiffel Tower is in an advanced state of rust - is the monument under threat?

"If Gustave Eiffel visited the site, he'd have syncope," a site executive complained to Marianne magazine in 2022. According to the newspaper's investigation, the Eiffel Tower 's maintenance was deplorable, and the rust that was eating away at it could put it at risk. Two years on, nothing seems to have changed, and many Internet users have been expressing concern in recent days about the Iron Lady'sadvanced state of deterioration.

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Rest assured, the Eiffel Tower won't fall on your head as you pass in front of it, but the situation remains worrying. Corrosion is gaining more and more ground, even though Gustave Eiffel would have recommended repainting the monument every seven years. A campaign had been launched for 2019, but the pandemic has delayed the work, which will not be completed for the Olympic Games. According to a recent press kit,"5% of the decorative arch on the Champ-de-Mars side has been stripped".

Meanwhile, the Eiffel Tower has been closed for several days, due to a strike. Employees of the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete) are complaining about the poor management of the monument by the mayor's office. "When rust attacks iron, the damage is irreversible. Even if we strip and repaint afterwards, the metal will have lost its quality," CGT Tour Eiffel representative Denis Vavassori told LaDépêche.

- The most important thing is to prevent rust from forming. Gustave Eiffel

- The Eiffel Tower is in "very good condition". Emmanuel Grégoire, 02/21/24.

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📸 @ILIONLEX https://t.co/gmcXlc9cwj pic.twitter.com/bA8poKb7oJ

- Baptiste Gianeselli (@BGianeselli) February 21, 2024

Reopening of the Eiffel Tower this Sunday and end of the strike
It's the end of the strike for the Eiffel Tower, closed since February 19, 2024. The emblematic monument will reopen this Sunday, February 25, following agreements between the unions and the Sete. [Read more]